Will ‘Game of Thrones’ be cursed at the Emmys?

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As anticipation builds for the April 17 premiere of HBO’s new series ‘Game of Thrones,’ a fascinating Emmy cliffhanger looms. If the medieval fantasy program proves to be a hit with TV critics and viewers, as most pundits expect, can ‘Game of Thrones’ reap an Emmy nomination for TV drama series?

Normally, fantasy-based drama is cursed at Hollywood peer-group awards like the Emmys and Oscars. At the Emmys, for example, it didn’t matter that TV critics fumed and thundered over the snubbing of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’; the hit, sexy series was never nominated in a major category during its 1997-2003 TV run. It was nominated for 14 Emmys, all in the tech races, and won only two (makeup and music in 1998).

Oscar voters are accused of the same bias, of course. They refused to crown the first two installments of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ as best picture, but when outcries reached a crescendo in 2003, they finally caved and bowed to Part 3. ‘Return of the King’ went undefeated, winning 11 trophies, tying the record for most Oscars set by ‘Ben-Hur’ and ‘Titanic.’

Is that a good Emmy omen for ‘Game of Thrones’? Probably. So is this: HBO’s vampire romp ‘True Blood’ pulled off a surprising nomination for drama series last year -- and it might be back soon.

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— Tom O’Neil